Warrior Band Places at Bands of America Regional Competition

By Mike Villarreal

The Santa Rosa Warriors Band won 2nd Place (silver) and Best Music at the Bands of America Regional Competition, held on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at McAllen Memorial Stadium.

Bands of America is a non-profit educational organization and is a program of Music for All, with a mission to create, provide, and expand positively life-changing experiences through music.

The Bands of America Advisory Committee consists of directors representing each of the four classes, and they are from diverse geographic locations. The committee’s purpose is to provide input to Music for All leadership on aspects of “BOA,” Fall Championships events, and programs. Their focus is on the organization’s aspects, with a commitment to providing positive, life-changing experiences for all participating bands.

At the Bands of America Championships, presented by Yamaha, bands have the opportunity to observe other bands, receive quality evaluations, and perform in the finest venues in a celebratory atmosphere, with a positive and affirming environment. Bands that participate receive commentary from skilled judges and educators nationwide. Band directors also have the chance to demonstrate and evaluate their students’ achievements and gauge their program’s progress on a national level.

The fall programs are just one of the many ways Music for All works year-round to support and advance music education for everyone. The Regional Championships for Bands of America are complete championship and educational events and do not qualify for the Grand National Championships. Up to 32 bands perform in this competition, and a total of 12 bands advance to the evening finals.

The Super Regional of Bands of America offers enhanced 2-day regional events with world-class venues that are second to only the Grand Nationals experience. With the success of the 2018 Super Regional expansion, BOA will continue this format, which allows a maximum of 84 bands to utilize two judging panels for the preliminary competition. The Prelims will take place over two days, with 52 bands on Friday, 32 on Saturday, and 14 for the band finals competition on Saturday evening.

This format allows Music for All to meet its goal of providing access to as many bands as they can each year. The final stage is the Grand National Championships, a three-day preliminary, semi-final, and finals event held in Lucas Oil Stadium, one of the world’s premier indoor venues. Bands will then receive a recorded evaluation from panels of marching experts, leading educators, and written scoresheets. A total of 45 bands will perform in 2 separate prelim contests, balanced with the number of bands from each class. A total of 30 bands will then advance to the semi-final with a format that ensures the inclusion of representatives of each of the four classes and the top-scoring bands from the two separate prelim contests and the overall event. Then, the top 12 are voted to compete in the evening Regional Finals, regardless of class. There are 14 bands accepted into the Super Regional Championships Finals. These 14 bands are picked according to the five highest-scoring bands in each of the two prelims judging panels, plus the following four highest-scoring bands from both prelims will advance to the finals. If a Class Champion is not among the highest scoring bands that advanced to finals, they will be invited to perform at finals in the exhibition.

Photos from the Santa Rosa Band Boosters Facebook Page

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